The Upper Hand
by rosabelle317
Summary: It wasn't often that Jack held it and he wasn't going to waste it.


**Notes: **Mostly a missing scene from "Jane Doe" with some leading into "Sweet Revenge." Contains lots of Jack and everything that goes along with him.

**The Upper Hand**

This was an opportunity he couldn't squander.

It wasn't often that Jack had the upper hand.

Sharon liked to play things close to the vest.

It was something she'd done ever since she'd transferred into IA. And, hey. She had to do it at work. He understood that. Then she'd started treating him like one of her suspects, never extending to him the benefit of the doubt. Never forgiving. Questioning everything. All the while, never giving away what she was thinking or feeling herself.

A man could only take so much.

Was it any surprise that he'd left?

Sure, sure, he'd accept his fair share of the blame. He hadn't been the perfect husband. He wasn't too proud to admit that. They'd had some hard times. The romance had died. She'd wanted to work it out. They'd gone to counseling for awhile, until he'd realized that there were things that she was just _never_ going to let go.

Jack liked to move on. Start fresh. If there was anything that he was good at, that was it. Sharon held on to things. Resentments. Grudges. Him.

Until now.

Something had changed.

She'd certainly made _that_ clear to him, today in her office.

_Professionally useful._

_You owe me._

_Child abandonment._

Jack shook his head.

Emily was almost thirty, for Christ's sake, and Sharon was talking about child support. That horse had left the barn years ago. She was living in the past.

But maybe something good would come of all this. Sharon had been so angry with him that she hadn't realized she'd tipped her hand this time. He knew what she was up to, and he could beat her to the punch. Just this once.

The key to it all was sitting in front of him, fiddling with the straps on his backpack and looking around the office without much interest.

"So what'd you think of the grand tour, huh?"

"It's, uh..." Rusty hesitated. "Nice, I guess. But would I have to work in _here?_ Because it's kinda small..."

"Hey, now." Jack chuckled. Teenagers. No tact. It was a little cramped, sure, now that he'd moved his bookcases in, but the size of the place was perfectly respectable. "It's bigger than it looks, and no. You wouldn't be _my_ intern, and you'd be running around a lot, anyway."

"Doing... what?"

"A little of this, a little of that," he said. "Filing, answering the phones, a couple of errands. Nothing a bright kid like you can't handle."

"Sounds... fun."

"Just pretend like you mean it, and the job's yours," Jack said. "Sit up straight. Shoulders back. Chest out. There you go. Looking confident is half the battle."

"What's the other half?"

"You have to _sound_ confident." Jack drummed his fingers against the desktop, thinking. "If this were a real interview, I'd ask you to tell me about yourself. Stick to your career goals. Got it?"

Rusty nodded.

Maybe he'd actually hire him. They could use another intern. He knew the kid would work hard, and he was reliable.

Sharon's reaction would only be a bonus.

Jack liked Rusty, he really did.

It was everything else about this situation that he didn't like.

If it were just about Rusty, Sharon could have what she wanted in two minutes. Have Rusty sign over power of attorney. Bam. Done. Jack would even sign as a witness, as a favor to her. Then if there were ever an emergency, she could see to it that Rusty was taken care of. It was always good to have a plan, just in case. He saw where she was coming from there.

No, Sharon was smarter than that. She'd built her entire career around precisely following the rules, and that meant that she also knew how to get _around_ them, when it suited her.

She didn't _need_ to adopt him.

Jack loved his kids, whatever Sharon might think, and he wasn't sorry that they'd made them, either. Sharon had wanted two or three, way back when. He'd been on board with three, even tossed out a couple of names. She had been the one to change her mind. Two was enough. Over the years, he'd come to realize that she was right. Two was _more_ than enough, and sure, he'd liked the idea of a little Charlie or Julie at the time, but he was glad Sharon had said no. Kids were a lot of work.

Sharon knew how he felt about that.

So, then, it stood to reason that she must've _also_ known that he would say no to the adoption idea. Kids were work, and Rusty wasn't even a kid.

Sharon must've known that he'd choose divorce.

She must've _wanted_ him to choose divorce.

He had to admit that he was still a little hung up on why.

She could've divorced him years ago. It would've been better for her that way, honestly. And Sharon believed, sure, but she also believed that the Church was a little behind the times on certain issues. He'd been surprised when divorce hadn't turned out to be one of them.

Maybe that was it.

She'd changed her mind and wanted to divorce him for other purposes, but she needed a more noble reason than that to actually go through with it. What was more saintly than adopting an abandoned boy?

Jack leaned forward. "Let me ask you something, Rusty. Man to man."

"Uh..." Rusty gave him a wary glance. "Okay?"

"How's Sharon doing?"

"Uh..." Another stare. "She's fine, I guess? Didn't you just see her? Why? Is something wrong?"

"She just seemed a little stressed."

"She has a case," Rusty said. "I think dead people are kinda stressful."

"Well, uh. Yes. I guess it is." Why was the kid so cagey all of a sudden? Jack thought they'd gotten along just fine the year before. He wondered what Sharon had said about him.

"And... she doesn't like when they're kids."

Rusty turned serious for a moment.

Jack nodded. No one wanted to think about their kids being hurt. He didn't know how Sharon could do it, honestly. It was one of the things he respected about her.

"So everything's all right at home?"

"Yeah."

"Good. That's... good. Good to know."

"Look," Rusty said, fidgeting again but he sat up straight in his chair. "I don't really think Sharon would like it if she knew you were talking to me about her, and she never tells me anything, anyway."

"So she doesn't go out much, then?"

"I dunno. Sometimes."

"With anyone in particular?"

"Dude," Rusty said. "Are you seriously asking me if _your wife_ is dating someone?"

"Is she?"

"Uh, no." Rusty wrinkled his nose. "Who would she be dating? And—and even if she was, why would I tell you?"

"Oh, hey, I'm not judging," he said, before Rusty could get too riled up. "We've been separated for almost twenty-five years—" and God and the rest of the world knew he wasn't a monk. "—and it's natural to want company every now and again. She must be lonely."

Rusty pulled the same mildly revolted face as before. "She seems fine to me."

"I was just wondering," he said. "What with all of the other changes she's making in her life."

"Changes?" Rusty tried to sound casual, even bored, but Jack could tell he'd finally piqued his interest.

"I guess you have a right to know," he said. "Since it involves you. You've been living with Sharon for awhile now, haven't you?"

Rusty was suddenly still.

"Two years, right?"

"Yes." Rusty gave him a guarded look.

"That's a long time."

"Did Sharon... say something to you?" Rusty asked. "Does what want me to get a job? Is that why you brought me here? Because I brought up getting a job before, and she totally told me to wait."

"Oh no," Jack said. "You have the wrong idea. Sharon's not upset with you. She wants to adopt you."

Rusty went stiff in his chair, eyes wide and fists balled at his side. Jack wondered what was going through his mind. Had he really had no idea? Sharon had said that she hadn't asked Rusty yet, but had she not even once broached the subject in a roundabout sort of way? Maybe not. Rusty looked... stunned wasn't quite strong enough a word for it.

"You all right there?"

"Sharon... she... a—adopt me?" Rusty choked out.

"That's right."

"But—wait, but _how_?" Rusty said. "She can do that? She _wants_ to do that?"

"She does."

The kid seemed to have some trouble absorbing that.

"You must know that she's gotten attached to you," Jack said. "She wants to make it official. Be your mother."

Rusty was silent.

"It's a big decision." Jack took advantage of his silence. "But the thing is, it's bigger than you. Whatever you decide affects me too, and my kids. Sharon's kids."

"I—I don't..." Rusty was shaking his head, and the backpack had gone from the floor to in his lap, arms wrapped around it like it was some kind of flotation device. "I don't understand. I—I never..."

"Sharon and I are still married."

"Yeah." Rusty seemed to get his bearings for a moment. "Everyone knows that."

"So she can't adopt you without me."

"And..." Rusty still sounded a little dazed. "What, you want to adopt me too?"

"That's—er, that's one option," Jack said. "Or we might... well, we might have to divorce."

"Divorce you?" Rusty repeated, and frowned. "Is that what you guys were talking about?"

"Mmm-hmm." Jack nodded.

Rusty was silent for a long time.

"Now, _I'll_ be okay," he said. "Don't you worry about me."

"But—"

"The kids, on the other hand." Jack shook his head. "They might have a harder time with it. You'll want to think about that."

"I—I never..." Rusty shook his head. "Look, I never—this isn't _my_ idea, okay? I—I don't... I don't want to cause Sharon any problems."

"Think about it, then," Jack said. "And think about the job too, all right? I was serious about that. You're a smart kid."

Only later did he wonder if Rusty was _too_ smart.

It took him a couple of days, but when the divorce papers showed up by registered mail early the next week, Jack started to think about it.

Sharon loved Rusty. Obviously.

He'd hoped that Rusty loved her too.

But—if he really cared about her, he wouldn't want Sharon to go making any rash decisions, now would he?

Oh, he didn't think Rusty had put Sharon up to anything. No, he could tell that this had all been Sharon's idea. She wouldn't just go throwing away more than thirty years of marriage and breaking up the family otherwise. Rusty was just taking advantage of a good opportunity.

Not that Jack could blame him, really. He was getting a good deal. Adoption. New family. Sharon would probably put him through college. It was a far cry from where he'd been a few years ago. In his place, Jack would've done the same thing.

That didn't mean he had to condone it.

She'd probably written him into her will by now.

She'd probably written _Jack_ out years ago, to the extent that she could. Left as much as she could to the kids. Jack wasn't too upset about that. Odds were that she'd outlive him, anyway, and if she was dead set on this divorce business, he'd come away with _something_. Something was better than nothing.

But as a father, wasn't it his duty to look after his kids? See that they were taken care of?

He ate lunch at his desk that day. When he was sure what he would say, he reached for his phone. It had been a few months, but he still had the number stored.

If _he_ couldn't make Sharon see reason, then he thought he knew who could, if Sharon hadn't gotten to them first.

"How are you, son? We need to talk about your mother."


End file.
